Kawarau Bridge: The first bungee jumping site in New Zealand
On 12 November 1988, the world’s first commercial bungee jumping site was opened near Queenstown, New Zealand. AJ Hackett and Henry Van Asch started out bungee jumping as a hobby with friends. They de...
21 Jun 20249min
The first mega cruise ship
On 16 January 1988, the world’s largest passenger ship, Sovereign of the Seas, set sail on her maiden voyage around the Caribbean.She carried more than 2,600 passengers and had five restaurants, nine ...
20 Jun 202410min
The beginning of Benidorm
In the 1950s, the transformation of the sleepy little town of Benidorm began when Pedro Zaragoza was appointed mayor. He started by getting pipes built to allow running water, then went on to pass ...
19 Jun 20249min
How Cancún became a tourist destination
In 1969, Antonio Enríquez Savignac was given the go-ahead to transform a secluded Mexican island into a world-beating tourist destination.The technocrat believed tourism was a cost effective solution ...
18 Jun 20249min
The first budget transatlantic flights
In 1955, a small Icelandic airline, Loftleioir Icelandic, slashed the cost of flying across the Atlantic.For the first time, thousands of young Americans were able to afford air travel to Europe on wh...
17 Jun 20249min
Orelhão: Brazil's iconic egg-shaped telephone booth
In 1971, an architect called Chu Ming Silveira created Brazil's iconic egg-shaped telephone booth, Orelhão. More than 50,000 of the booths were installed across Brazil and the design was so successful...
14 Jun 20248min
Kielland disaster
In 1980, 123 men were killed when the Alexander L. Kielland platform capsized in the North Sea oil fields.It was Norway's biggest industrial disaster and led to a range of safety improvements for thos...
13 Jun 20249min
The Irish shopworkers strike against apartheid
In 1984, a 21-year-old Irish shopworker refused to serve a customer buying two South African grapefruits. Mary Manning was suspended from the Dunnes store in Dublin, and ten of her colleagues walked o...
12 Jun 202410min
